1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to video production, and more specifically, to a system, method and computer program product for automating the execution of a live or live-to-tape video show.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, the execution of a live or live-to-tape video show, such as a network news broadcast, talk show, or the like, is largely a manual process involving a team of specialized individuals working together in a video production environment having a studio and a control room. The video production environment is comprised of many diverse types of video production devices, such as video cameras, microphones, video tape recorders (VTRs), video switching devices, audio mixers, digital video effects devices, teleprompters, and video graphic overlay devices, etc. The basics of video production techniques is described in xe2x80x9cTelevision Production Handbook,xe2x80x9d Zettl, 1997 Wadsworth Publishing Company, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In a conventional production environment, the video production devices are manually operated by a production crew (which does not include the performers and actors, also known as the xe2x80x9ctalentxe2x80x9d) of artistic and technical personnel working together under the direction of a director. A standard production crew is made up of nine or more individuals, including camera operators (usually one for each camera, where there are usually three cameras), a video engineer who controls the camera control units (CCUs) for each camera, a teleprompter operator, a character generator operator, a lighting director who controls the studio lights, a technical director who controls the video switcher, an audio technician who controls an audio mixer, tape operator(s) who control(s) a bank of VTRs, and a floor director inside the studio who gives cues to the talent. Typically, the director coordinates the entire production crew by issuing verbal instructions to them according to a script referred to as a director""s rundown sheet. Generally, each member of the production crew is equipped with a headset and a microphone to allow constant communication with each other and the director through an intercom system.
During the execution of a live or live-to-tape video show, the production crew must perform multiple parallel tasks using the variety of video production devices. Furthermore, these tasks must all be coordinated and precisely synchronized according to very strict timing requirements. Coordination between the production crew, the director and the talent is vitally important for the successful execution of a show. Accordingly, the logistics of executing a show are extremely difficult to plan and realize.
Executing a show is extremely susceptible to errors. The industry knows that errors are generally expected to occur during the execution of a show. Accordingly, experienced production crews not only attempt to reduce the frequency of errors, but also attempt to react quickly in taking corrective action so that the inevitable errors that do occur are unnoticed by the viewing audience. However, it is quite apparent by watching live television broadcasts that this goal is not always met.
Another problem with the conventional production environment is that the director does not have total control in executing a show because of the director""s reliance on the production crew. The production crew does not always follow the instructions of the director due to mis-communication and/or misinterpretation of the director""s cues. Further, the director cannot achieve certain desired transitions and sophisticated or enhanced visual effects because of the real time nature of the execution of the show and the fast paced/short time available.
The real time nature of the execution of the show creates great stress for the director, the production crew, and the talent. Everyone is extremely concerned about failure. The real time nature of the execution of the show also necessitates re-creation of the format, including transitions and special effects, for the show.
Another drawback of the conventional production environment, is that failure of any member of the production crew to be present for the execution of the show may prevent or hamper the show from occurring as planned. Thus, directors constantly worry about whether crew members will show up for work, particularly on weekends and holidays.
Conversely, there are situations in other than broadcast environments, such as business television and video training environments, where due to downsizing or budgetary constraints the number of available personnel for the production crew is so limited that shows cannot be produced with high quality.
Producing live or live-to-tape video shows is very expensive because of the large size of the video production crew. The compensation to the individuals that make up the production crew is substantial, and can run in the range of several Million dollars per year for the entire crew. Furthermore, the compensation for a member of a production crew is commensurate with the video market of the station. The level of compensation for the top markets is substantially higher than for the lesser markets, and the compensation for network affiliates is higher than independent broadcasters and cable networks. This disparity in compensation produces frequent turnover in production crew personnel causing a director to frequently hire and train new members of the crew.
Another disadvantage with the conventional production environment is the inability to preview the show. That is, it is costly and impractical for the production crew to rehearse the show prior to its execution. The talent and the director cannot preview the transitions in a succinct manner.
Therefore, what is needed is a video production system and method that addresses the above problems.
Definitions Of Terns
Certain terms used in this document have specific meanings as follows:
xe2x80x9cActivating an iconxe2x80x9d means selecting or triggering the icon.
xe2x80x9cButtonxe2x80x9d is an icon that is intended to represent an electrical push-button appearing as part of a graphical user interface. Moving a mouse pointer over the graphical button and pressing one of the physical mouse buttons starts some software action.
xe2x80x9cExecution of a showxe2x80x9d means the implementation of the steps necessary to broadcast the show or record it in any tangible medium of expression.
xe2x80x9cFramexe2x80x9d a frame is one-thirtieth of a second.
xe2x80x9cGraphical Controlsxe2x80x9d are one or more icons used for controlling a video production device.
xe2x80x9cHot-keyxe2x80x9d is a programmable icon.
xe2x80x9cIconxe2x80x9d means a small picture intended to represent something in a graphical user interface. When an icon is clicked on with a mouse, for example, some action is performed. Icons are usually stored as bitmaps, but of course can be stored using other formats.
xe2x80x9cPre-productionxe2x80x9d is the planning process whereby the video director plans the steps necessary to execute the show.
xe2x80x9cShowxe2x80x9d is a live or live-to-tape production.
xe2x80x9cShow templatexe2x80x9d is a stored file of a transition macro that can be used in whole or in part as a starting point to produce another show.
xe2x80x9cTransition macroxe2x80x9d means a set of video production commands, where each video production command is transmitted from a processing unit to a video production device. Transition macro also refers to a set of icons that have been dragged and dropped (i.e., assembled) onto the control lines of a transition macro time sheet.
xe2x80x9cVideo production commandxe2x80x9d is any command or instruction that controls a video production device.
The present invention solves the above identified problems in conventional systems by providing an integrated video production system, method and computer program product (referred to collectively as xe2x80x9cvideo production systemxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpresent inventionxe2x80x9d for purposes of brevity) for automating the execution of a live or live-to-tape video show. The video production system is integrated such that a single person (xe2x80x9ca video directorxe2x80x9d) has control over all video production devices used in executing the show. Such devices include, but are not limited to, video cameras, robotic pan/tilt heads, video tape players and recorders (VTRs), video servers and virtual recorders, character generators, still stores, digital video disk players (DVDs), digital video effects (DVE), audio mixers, audio sources (e.g., CD""s and DAT""s), video switchers, and teleprompting systems.
The automation capability provided by the video production system allows the video director to pre-produce a live show (such as a news show or talk show), preview the show in advance of xe2x80x9cair timexe2x80x9d, and then, with a touch of a button or other trigger, execute the live show. Consequently, a live show or live-to-tape show can be executed more cost efficiently, with greater control over logistics and personnel, with enhanced functionality and transitions, in less time and with less stress, and with fewer people and fewer human errors than was previously possible. The present invention also allows the video director to reuse formats of prior shows by leveraging show templates.
In an embodiment, a video production system is provided having a processing unit in communication with and/or controlling one or more of the video production devices mentioned above. The processing unit displays on a monitor or other display device a graphical user interface (GUI) that consists of graphical controls for controlling the video production devices that it is in communication with. The graphical controls are made up of icons that the video director activates to control a video production device. The video director uses a keyboard and mouse or other input device or interface (including voice activated, touch screen, heads up display, etc.) to activate the icons, and thereby remotely control the video production devices. In this manner, a director is given control over video production devices used in executing a show.
The processing unit also enables the video director to automate the execution of a show. According to an embodiment, the video director pre-produces the show to create a director""s rundown-sheet, creates a transition macro, which specifies one or more video production commands, and instructs the processing unit to execute the transition macro. Executing a transition macro means transmitting the one or more video production commands that are specified by the transition macro to the appropriate video production devices.
Upon receiving a video production command, a video production device performs the function corresponding to the received command. In this manner, the processing unit provides automated control of the video production devices, and thereby provides a system for automating the execution of a show in real time. This feature provides the director with the advantage of not having to rely on a production crew to execute a show. The cost and time savings this feature provides are therefore substantial. Additionally, the human errors that normally occur during the execution of a show are no longer an issue.
Advantageously, the invention may include a timer and means for associating a timer value with each video production command specified by the transition macro, thereby creating a timer driven transition macro. In this embodiment, a video production command is transmitted to a video production device only when the timer reaches the timer value associated with the video production command. An advantage of this feature is that the video production commands are scheduled according to the timer. The timer is activated by the video director activating a timer start icon displayed by the processing unit or is activated by the processing unit receiving a timer start command from an external system, such as a teleprompting system. The timer can also be stopped at any point in time, thereby providing the video director with control over the execution of a transition macro.
In an embodiment, the processing unit is programmed to provide a transition macro graphical user interface (GUI) that enables the director to easily create timer driven transition macros. The transition macro GUI includes a transition macro time sheet, which includes a plurality of control lines. Each of the control lines corresponds to a video production device in a preferred embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, each control line may correspond to multiple devices. The video director creates a transition macro by placing one or more icons from the graphical controls described above onto the control lines. A method for placing an icon onto a control line includes dragging and dropping the icon onto the control line. The group of icons placed onto the control lines is referred to as the transition macro. Each icon is associated with a timer value, with one or more video production commands, or with one or more video production devices.
A video production command may involve (but is not limited to) performing a video switch with a defined transition effect; audio mixing; controlling a camera, such as controlling a camera""s pan, tilt, zoom and focus; transmitting an external machine control command (via communication protocols) such as a play, search and stop command for VTRs, video servers/virtual recorders, digital video devices (DVD)s, and digital audio tape (DAT) and cassette equipment; controlling a teleprompting system; recalling graphics by I.D. number from a character generator and/or still store; or transmitting general purpose interface commands for input/output contact closures (momentary and latching) to control external equipment without the need for using a communications protocol.
Once a director creates a transition macro (that is, places icons onto control lines), the director can execute the transition macro in either a full automation mode (single button press) or a semi-automatic mode (multiple button press). It should be noted that a transition macro, whether executed in full automation mode or semi-automatic mode, can always be overridden by manual control. That is, the video director always has the ability to manually control a video production device, regardless of whether a transition macro is in the process of being executed.
Executing the transition macro means directing the processing unit to transmit the video production commands associated with the icons that form the transition macro to the appropriate video production devices in a predefined sequence. The sequence in which the video production commands are transmitted is determined by the arrangement of the icons on the control lines. The arrangement of the icons on the control lines determines the timer value of each icon.
A feature called transition macro xe2x80x9cstep marksxe2x80x9d allows the director to execute a transition macro in semi-automatic mode by splitting a transition macro into two or more transition macro segments, where each transition macro segment includes a group of icons. Typically, each transition macro segment corresponds to a line item segment command from a director""s rundown sheet. To execute a particular transition macro segment, the video director activates (xe2x80x9cstepsxe2x80x9d through) the step mark preceding the transition macro segment.
According to one feature, a transition macro may be modified while a show is executing. This feature allows a producer to modify the content of a show in real time. For example, it allows the producer to introduce a late breaking news segment or the like into a news broadcast. That is, while the transition macro is executing, the video director may insert icons or predefined transition macro segments (multiple icons representing a line item on the director""s rundown sheet) into an executing transition macro. Additionally, the director can change icon properties and delete icons and segments.
Another feature is that a transition macro can be stored as a file and later retrieved and modified. This allows a video director to store xe2x80x9cshow templates.xe2x80x9d A show template is a generic transition macro that can be re-used many times to produce a variety of different shows. By storing show templates, new shows can easily be produced by leveraging a previously created transition macro. The video director recalls the template by file name, makes the necessary modifications as required (according to the new producer/director rundown sheet) and saves the transition macro with a new file name. Leveraging xe2x80x9cshow templatesxe2x80x9d can save time, improve quality, and preserve format consistency.
Advantageously, the present invention provides means for creating a transition macro play-list. A transition macro play-list is a queue of two or more transition macros. The play-list can be specified as either automatic or manual. If a play-list is automatic, then once a transition macro in the play-list finishes executing, the next transition macro from the play-list is automatically executed. If a transition macro play-list is manual, then once a transition macro in the play-list is executed, the next transition macro in the play-list is loaded and is ready to be executed by the director, such that the director need only activate a start button to execute the next transition macro. The advantage of the transition macro play-list feature is that it enables the director to produce a show using multiple transition macros. Consequently, instead of creating one very large transition macro to execute a show, a director can create several small and more manageable transition macros to execute the show.
A transition macro or a segment of a transition macro can be associated with one of many transition macro xe2x80x9chot-keysxe2x80x9d. When a transition macro hot-key is activated by the director, the transition macro or the transition macro segment associated with the activated transition macro hot-key is automatically inserted into the current transition macro. The director can activate a transition macro hot-key at any time, even while a show is in progress. A further feature is that each transition macro hot-key has an associated label for identifying each hot-key. Transition macro hot-keys are typically used for xe2x80x9clate breaking newsxe2x80x9d stories that come in late or even after the show begins. In addition, the transition macro hot-keys, once configured, can also be used to assemble new transition macros.
The present invention also provides a teleprompting system having a processing unit, a monitor or other display device, a keyboard, a mouse, and one or more flat panel display screens. The processing unit displays a script editor on the monitor. A user creates teleprompting scripts using the script editor. Once a teleprompting script has been created, the user can direct the processing unit to scroll the teleprompting script within the display screen(s) for the xe2x80x9ctalentxe2x80x9d to read.
Advantageously, the script editor provides a means for a video director to insert commands into a teleprompting script. When a script reaches a predetermined point on the display screen(s), the command is executed. There are two types of commands available on the script editor. They are script commands and transition macro commands. Script commands act upon the teleprompting script itself, such as pausing, delaying, cuing and stopping the script. Transition macro commands xe2x80x9ctriggerxe2x80x9d the transition macro timer. That is, when the teleprompting system executes a transition macro command, the teleprompting system transmits a xe2x80x9ctriggerxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctimer startxe2x80x9d command to the video production system processing unit, which then starts the transition macro timer if the timer was previously stopped at a step mark.
Both the video production system processing unit and the teleprompting system processing unit can send and receive commands to each other. This allows the video production system processing unit to communicate with and control the teleprompting system, and the teleprompting system can trigger the activation of the transition macro timer.
Another advantage of the teleprompting system is that it provides two script modes: single script mode and multi-script mode. Single script mode is used for general production applications, whereas multi-script mode is better suited for a newsroom application. In the multi-script mode, a script xe2x80x9cplay-listxe2x80x9d is used to import multiple teleprompting scripts, organize them in a desired order, and then play them in that order. Teleprompting scripts are dragged and dropped into the play-list via the mouse. Once the scripts are added to the play-list, they are automatically converted from standard text format to rich text format for display on the teleprompter display screen(s). In addition, the conversion process can also change the font size and an option for bold or standard can be selected. This feature allows for multiple reporters/writers to develop scripts in parallel and organize them to correlate with the producer/director rundown sheet. In addition, the teleprompting system allow for ASCII text output through a serial port to an external closed captioning encoder for displaying close captioning information on the program transmission.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.